HomeCoursesAnimal careCertificate III in Animal Care Services
Certificate III in Animal Care Services
This qualification prepares you to look after animals in places like boarding kennels, day care, shelters, breeding facilities and grooming salons, and to handle the day to day running of those settings.
- Duration: 4 months to 18 months
- Study mode: Online and on campus
- Course code: ACM30122
Where you can study this course
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Melbourne Polytechnic
- Campuses
- 13 campuses
- Duration
- Not yet checked
- Study mode
- Not yet checked
- Full fee
- Not yet checked
What students say
A number of students find the organisation and admin frustrating, and opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching, while some rate the facilities and campus highly.
- Campuses
- 16 campuses
- Duration
- 4 months to 18 months
- Study mode
- Varies by campus
- Full fee
- $10,760
- Eligible students: subsidised from $1,400, concession $240
What students say
Many students speak well of the facilities and campus, and some rate the trainers and teaching highly, though opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching and student support, and some found the organisation and admin frustrating.
- Visit provider website → (opens in a new tab)
TAFE Gippsland
- Campuses
- 11 campuses
- Duration
- Not yet checked
- Study mode
- Not yet checked
- Full fee
- Not yet checked
- Visit course page → (opens in a new tab)
TAFE Queensland
- Campuses
- 8 campuses
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- Varies by campus
- Full fee
- $8,215
- Eligible students: subsidised from $4,305, concession $3,455
What students say
Many students rate the facilities and campus highly. Some found course content and organisation and admin frustrating, while opinions are mixed on the trainers and teaching.
- Campuses
- 26 campuses
- Duration
- Not yet checked
- Study mode
- Not yet checked
- Full fee
- Not yet checked
What students say
Students rate the trainers, teaching, facilities and campus highly, though some found the organisation, admin and communication frustrating; opinions are mixed on facilities and campus.
- Campuses
- 2 campuses
- Duration
- Not yet checked
- Study mode
- Not yet checked
- Full fee
- Not yet checked
What students say
Some students found the course content frustrating and the trainers and teaching lacking, and a number questioned the cost and value, while many value the student support, though opinions on the content are mixed.
- Visit provider website → (opens in a new tab)
Box Hill Institute
- Campuses
- 4 campuses
- Duration
- Not yet checked
- Study mode
- Not yet checked
- Full fee
- Not yet checked
What students say
Students speak highly of the trainers and teaching, with the campus and facilities also well regarded. Many found student support frustrating, along with organisation and communication.
- Visit course page → (opens in a new tab)
The Gordon
- Campuses
- 2 campuses
- Duration
- Not stated by provider
- Study mode
- Not stated by provider
- Full fee
- $11,567
- Eligible students: subsidised from $3,097, concession $616
What students say
Students rate the trainers and teaching highly, along with the student support and course content. Some found organisation and admin frustrating, and opinions are mixed on student support and course content.
Last reviewed 20 September 2026.
Is this course right for you?
Entry requirements
There are no entry requirements for this qualification.
- Providers can set their own conditions, such as a minimum age or a current job in the industry, and practical training may need a workplace placement. Check each provider above.
Entry recommendations
To be prepared for this course, it helps to have:
- a genuine interest in animals and their wellbeing
- patience and a calm manner around animals
- good communication skills with clients and team members
- a willingness to follow safety and hygiene procedures
What will you learn?
You learn to read animal behaviour and approach and restrain animals safely, check how an animal is coping, and give basic first aid when something goes wrong. The course also covers the parts of the job that involve people: talking with clients about their animals, keeping records, working with a team, and following infection control and workplace safety rules. It can be done as an apprenticeship or traineeship, so much of the learning happens on the job under supervision.
- Reading animal behaviour
- Safe animal handling
- Checking animal welfare
- Basic animal first aid
- Talking with clients and owners
- Infection control and workplace safety
Units of competency (7 core, 10 elective)
The qualification is made up of 17 units. Everyone completes the 7 core units below, and the remaining 10 are electives chosen from the list on training.gov.au, so they vary by provider. Select a unit to see what it covers.
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Where this fits
Certificate III in Animal Care Services in animal care: the study that leads into it, the study that follows, and other routes at the same level.
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Certificate III in Animal Care Services
Data from training.gov.au and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (CC BY 4.0).